Steve McIntosh Report Blog

Herding cats

by Steve McIntosh,posted Jun 3 2013 1:40AM

After last fall’s elections, it appeared that Governor Sam Brownback and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce got just about everything they wanted. Several state senators and representatives … painted as insufficiently conservative … were booted out of office by voters. I can think of two effective veteran lawmakers in the Wichita area who received their walking papers, and there were others who came mighty close.
The Kansas Legislature began work in January with some big tax-and-spending issues requiring serious attention. Past lawmakers had lowered tax rates, creating big problems in bringing the budget in balance. Many campaigned that more spending cuts were needed … but where to cut? And which taxes could be lowered or raised?
An interesting thing happened; the new, more conservative Republican majority couldn’t find agreement. Leaders handed down decisions that were simply rejected by the rank-and-file. The session stretched beyond its targeted deadline for adjournment.
Has Governor Brownback discovered that law-making is indeed like “herding cats” … regardless of those cats’ stripes?
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